


What You Learn on Television

by tatertotarmy



Category: Harvest Moon, 牧場物語つながる新天地 | Story of Seasons
Genre: F/M, Starry Night Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 04:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9160165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatertotarmy/pseuds/tatertotarmy
Summary: After she turns on the television one night, Annie happens across a particular interview about her boyfriend.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Starry Night Exchange on Tumblr

Annie stood rigid by the kitchen counter, practically gawking at the television. 

“There's no way I can say no to you, Boss.”

She had put on the television while she was making dinner, mainly putting it on to fill the silence more than anything. Not much thought was given to the program or the host, just something where there would be something other than a snoring dog to listen to. But immediately after the television buzzed through a commercial, it had come back to an interview…about Klaus. It had ticked her that her boyfriend was being mentioned on television…until the person who was interviewed began to tell a much different story about him that she had imagined.

“I apologize, but this interview is cancelled,” spoke a younger looking Klaus to the host, having shut down the interview before it got into specifics. It must have been filmed several years ago, before they even moved to Oak Tree Town. But, they must have decided to replay it. Annie tuned out of the half-hearted wrap up of the interview and into her own thoughts. 

Klaus…had been in a gang? 

It didn’t sound like a bad gang, necessarily. The way that man acted when he talked, it was as if Klaus had singlehandedly saved lives. It sounded more like an underground watch than the gangs that Annie had heard about from the city. The gangs that stole, hurt people, and caused mischief. Klaus’ gang…it didn’t seem bad. 

But why hadn’t he told her?

It must not be something that he wanted out there. But why not, if it was a good thing? Why not tell her, since they’d been dating for quite a while at that point. Annie set down a pot that had been in her hand, and took a deep breath. There was no way she was making dinner with this on her mind. She was curious to a fault, ignorantly so at times, and she wanted to know more. Why didn’t he want to tell anyone if this had been such a positive impact on where he grew up? What had driven him to start a gang?

Before she could even decide to leave, she had already put on a coat and walked out the door. The walk to Klaus’ home was quick, simple, having walked there so many times that it had become ingrained in her muscles. The wind was cold on her breath, the night sky doing no favors to warm her up. Beneath her, the snow crunched along with her heartbeat, beginning to pick up the more she thought about it. Klaus, her proper gentleman, taking on a bunch of punks on the street?

The very thought made her heart beat faster, thought she didn’t know why.

Annie stopped in front of his door, taking a few deep breaths before gently knocking on his door. It didn’t take long before she heard footsteps. She hoped she wasn’t interrupting his dinner.

Ah, she probably was. As her stomach growled, she was beginning to regret coming before dinnertime. Maybe after would have been a better idea.

Thought letting her unfinished questions fester in the back of her mind? Unthinkable. She needed to find out. No question about it.

The door opened, and warm air laced with floral perfume caressed her cold skin. Klaus stood in the doorway, looking down at her with surprise, then a smile, then pressed eyebrows of concern.

“Annie?” Klaus quickly stood aside so she could walk inside, “I wasn’t expecting you here this late. Is everything alright?” She walked in, shivering a little as he closed the door behind.

“Yea, everything’s fine! I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I?” Annie saw something cooking on the stove, but thankfully nothing was served yet. Made it just in time.

“I was just making dinner. There’s enough for two, if you would care to join me.”

“Oh! That’s fine, I was about to make some myself. Thank you for the offer, though!”

“You wound me, coming all this way and not accepting my hospitality,” Klaus chuckled gently, helping Annie out of her coat, “What did you come for, though?” 

Once Klaus had her coat draped over his arm, she turned around and smiled sheepishly, “Well…I saw you on television! At least I’m sure it was you.”

“Really?” he smiled as he hung the coat up on the rack beside the door, “I hope you’re not disappointed if I looked younger and a much more handsome then. Which interview was it?”

Annie perked up, “Klaus, stop that…wait…you’ve been on television more than once?”

“It’s primarily to promote my fragrances, yes,” Klaus turned back towards her, “Most of them were done years ago, however. Perhaps I should do another, if I am given the opportunity.”

“Wow…” Annie stood there in slight wonder before shaking off the star-struck feeling in her gut, “Well, this one wasn’t about your perfumes at all.”

“Oh?” Klaus’ smile fell slightly, only by a centimeter that only Annie could catch onto.

“Yes…” Annie took a few moments to think about how she should phrase it before resorting to the blunt one, “You were in a gang?”

Silence hung in the air. Annie was hesitant to meet Klaus’ eyes at first. They flickered to a darker tone, one she had seen before, sometime before they started dating. When she had arrived to talk to Klaus just to see him, when he began talking about men being wolves. It was rare, especially now that their relationship had long since commenced. 

However, the silence was interrupted by the pot on the stove boiling over. At the sound of a small splash of soup pouring out the top, Klaus cursed under his breath and rushed over to fix it.

“Am I wrong…?” Annie spoke, following him at a distance to watch him.

Klaus sighed, “No, not necessarily. I thought I told them to remove that interview from circulation.”

“So you were a part of a gang.”

“Yes, thought it was a long time ago. I was very young back then. There’s no point in revisiting a time that’s long since passed.”

“But…” Annie paused for a moment as Klaus wiped up the spilled soup, “But I think it’s good to learn about each other. The good and the bad, right?”

“It’s a time I would rather forget.”

“Why?” Annie took a step forward, “That man in the interview seemed really happy to see you. I don’t think that’s worth forgetting.”

Klaus set down the rag, turning towards Annie with those same dark eyes. The eyes she loved and feared at the same time. It wasn’t a bad fear, but an anticipating fear. Like the two of them were on the precipice of a cliff, and what that cliff was, Annie wasn’t sure. But somehow, she wanted to know. 

Before she could breathe, Klaus stalked up to her. Her body began to back up instinctually, though she didn’t know why. It wasn’t before her back had hit a wall that Klaus reached up to the stop button of his shirt, always buttoned up right to the top to create a nice collar. Annie swallowed hard as he unbuttoned his top button with one hand. Only one button was all it took for the collar to loosen and part in the center.

Revealing the top edge of a thick, white scar.

“It wasn’t all good, Annie,” Klaus stared down at her with deep eyes, “Some of this was not fine. Not happy. Not good.”

Annie swallowed.

“There are more like this. All over.”

Annie could barely visualize it. The two had not gotten to a physical aspect of their relationship yet. Though her imagination was working its charms at that moment.

“Do you still want to know?”

Without thinking, Annie nodded. 

She definitely wanted to know.

Klaus chuckled, re-buttoning the top, “Then…join me for dinner?”

His eyes were still dark, betraying his usual polite smile.

Annie could only nod, slightly dumb-struck.


End file.
